Protectively housed, extendible and retractable cover apparatus for swimming pools



Feb. 12, 1963 J. H. LAMB 1 3,076,975

PROTECTIVELY HOUSED, EXTENDIBLE AND RETRACTABLE COVER APPARATUS FOR SWIMMING POOLS Filed July 24, 1961 .FTJ".

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a ,1 \gm /3 LIZ a ar "zsosss T H5 5 16E" E YLi MB ATTORNEYS 3,076,975 PlltlTE ClT /ELY HQUSED, EXTENDEBLE AND RE- Tllrtifil sELE CGVER APPARATUS EQR SWlll/i- Pt iLNG H9915 Joe ll-l. Lamb, Salt Lake City, Utah, assignor to Philip A. Mallinehrodt, Salt Lake City, Utah Filed duly 2 4, 1961i, Ser. No. 126,130 '7 Claims. (Cl. 4-172) This invention relates to extendible and retractable cover apparatus for swimming pools, and is particularly concerned with structure utilized to house the operating mechanism and the cover when retracted.

in my copending patent application Serial No. 30,493, filed May 20, 1969, now abandoned and entitled Rolled Sheet Extending and Retracting Apparatus, I disclose in detail an extendible and retractable cover for swimming pools wherein an impervious cover sheet of flexible material is rolled on a drum or roller at one end of the pool and is adapted to be unrolled and extended over the pool area to cover same when the pool is not in use. The longitudinal edges of the sheet are thickened or beaded to serve as anchoring slides with respect to slideway strips secured along the longitudinal margins of the pool. Special mechanism and structural components are utilized in conjunction with the drum for unrolling and for re-rolling the cover sheet. The rolled cover sheet and the mechanism for driving the drum on which it is rolled are housed in common in an elongate box preferably inset flush with the pool deck at and along one end of the pool.

in accordance with the present invention, the lid of the box is divided into sections and is hingedspecially to prevent opening thereof beyond a predetermined maximum. Relatively short sections of the lid at opposite ends thereof serve to cover mechanism installed in opposite end portions of the box, while an elongate intermediate section of the lid extends along the width of the cover sheet and serves to not only protectively cover whatever portion of the cover sheet is rolled on the drum but mounts and functionally cooperates with cleansing means for the cover sheet.

The several sections are advantageously hinged in common by a re-entrant slideway channel secured to and extending along the entire length of the box, such sections having thickened rear margins serving as hinge pintles and being slid into anchored placement within the slideway channel from either one or the other open end thereof.

It is a feature of the invention that the upper defining margin of the slideway channel extends forwardly suiticiently to prevent the lid sections from being opened for enough to rest in open position. Accordingly, no cover section can be left standing open as a safety hazard.

it is another feature of the invention that the intermediate lid section is equipped with an elongate brush or other scrubbing device at the underside of its forward margin and, similarly, with an elongate water spray fixture so that the cover sheet is automatically cleaned as it is being rolled up from its exposed, extended position. To this end, the forward margin of the intermediate lid section is advantageously curled under as a mount for the spra fixture, the latter sliding snugly thereinto and directing its spray inwardly against the brush. it is preferred that the brush have reasonably stifi bristles effective to resist closing of the lid and that such bristles project downwardly below the curled front edge of the lid section, so that the weight of the lid is effective to press the brush downwardly upon the cover sheet as it is being rolled in from extended position.

A specific embodiment representing what is presently lQQ regarded as the best mode of carrying out the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawin In the drawing:

FIG. 1 represents a fragmentary top plan view of a rectangular swimming pool having the extendible and retractable cover apparatus of the invention installed along one end thereof;

FIG. 2, a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 2.-?. of FIG. 1 and drawn to a larger scale;

FIG. 3, a fragmentary view corresponding to that of FIG. 2 but showing only the upper portion thereof, with the intermediate cover section being held in raised position;

FIG. 4, a fragmentary bottom plan view and horizontal section taken on the line i i of FIG. 2, an intermediate portion being broken out for convenience of illustration, and

PEG. 5, a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1 and drawn to the enlarged scale of FIGS. 2 and 3.

Referring now to the drawing:

in the form illustrated, the apparatus comprises an elongate box to inset approximately flush with the pool deck 11 at and extending along one end of a swi i.- ming pool 12, which may be of practically any shape.

The box may be fabricated in any suitable manner, e.g. from sheet metal, concrete, or wood. As illustrated, box it: is made up of redwood planks to provide a front wall 13, a rear wall 14, end walls 15, and bottom wall 16.

Rotata'oly mounted within and along the intermediate portion of box ll), preferably in accordance with my aforementioned patent application Serial No. 30,493, is a drum or roller 17 On which is rolled an imperforate, pool cover sheet 18 of flexible material such as a vinyl plastic. The mechanism 19, FIG. 1, for extending and retracting such sheet within and along slideway strips it; at respectively opposite sides of the pool 12 is housed within opposite end portions of box ill and is preferably that disclosed in my aforesaid patent application.

A lid 21 is hinged along its rear edge to box hi, the hinge means advantageously being an elongate strip 22 of extruded aluminum having a re-entrant slideway channel 23 formed along its forward edge, and a thickened rearward margin 24 of lid 21 which is received and anchored by such channel 23 as a hinge pintle.

Lid 2 1 is advantageously made up of individual sec tions, there being relatively short end sections 21a and 210, FIG. 1, for covering the operating mechanism 19 in opposite end portions of the box and an elongate intermediate section 21b for covering the rolled cover sheet 18. The enlarged pintle portions 24 of such sections are slid into the slideway channel 23 from one of the open ends of the latter for installing the lid.

The cover sheet extends between lid section Zlb and the box in its extension outwardly of the box and into sliding association with strips 2%, and such lid section bears downwardly toward the upper surface of the sheet. For maintaining the cover sheet clean and for keeping out of box It leaves and other trash which may accumulate on such sheet while it is in extended position over pool 12, an elongate scrubber in the form of a brush 25 is secured to the underside of lid section 21b adjacent the forward edge thereof. This brush bears down against the upper surface of sheet 18, as shown in FIG. 2, when lid section Zlb is closed and exercises a scrubbing action on sheet 13.

It is preferred to facilitate cleansing of sheet 13 by providing a flow of a wash liquidusually plain water in advance of the scrubber. Thus, the forward margin of lid section 21b is conveniently rolled under as at 26, FIGS. 2 and 3, and a spray tube 27 is inserted in the receiving opening thus formed. A hose connection 28, FIG. 4, is secured to one end of such tube 25, and the opposite end is plugged, as at 29. A series of spray orifices 39 extend along the tube, and, in this instance, project jets of water backwardly against the brush, from where it falls onto the cover sheet.

In order to conveniently get rid of Water which flows into box it such box is set on a bed of gravel 31, FIG. 2, and drain holes 32 are provided through bottom wall 16.

From a safety standpoint, especially considering the flush insetting of box in the pool deck 11, it is highly desirable that provision be made for preventing opening of the lid sections 21a, 21b, and 210 far enough to prevent their closing by gravity when released. This is effectively and simply accomplished by extending the upper lip 23a of slideway channel 23 forwardly far enough to place the center of gravity of each lid section forwardly of the hinge axis when the lid section is fully opened, see FIG. 3.

Whereas there is here specifically illustrated and described a certain preferred embodiment which we presently regard as the best mode of carrying out the invention, it should be understood that various changes may be made without departing from the inventive concepts particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed herebelow.

I claim:

1. A cover apparatus for swimming pools, comprising an elongate box open at and along its top and adapted to extend along one end of a swimming pool; an elongate roller having a cover sheet attached thereto and normally rolled thereon; means rotatably mounting the roller in and longitudinally of the box, intermediate the length thereof; means within opposite ends of the box for extending and retracting the sheet relative to the roller and the box; a sectional lid for the box, said lid being made up of end sections for covering said opposite ends of the box and an intermediate section for covering the rolled cover sheet; means hinging at least the intermediate section of the lid to the box, the sheet extending between said section of the lid and the box, and said section of the lid normally gravitating downwardly toward the upper surface of the sheet; and an elongate scrubber carried by the said section of the lid and normally bearing down upon the upper surface of the extended cover sheet.

2. The cover apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hinge means extends along the rear margin of the intermediate section of the lid and the forward margin of said section d is curled downwardly to provide an elongate retaining recess; and wherein an elongate spray rod is mounted within said recess, said spray rod having lateral spray openings and a connection for a source of wash liquid.

3. The cover apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hinge means comprises a re-entrant slideway channel extending along the rear of the box, and a thickened rear margin of the lid received by said channel as a hinge pintle.

4. The cover apparatus of claim 3, wherein the upper defining edge of the slideway channel extends forwardly a distance sufficient to place the center of gravity of the lid forwardly of the hinge axis.

5. The cover apparatus of clam 4, wherein the entire lid is hinged as specified.

6. A cover apparatus for swimming pools, comprising an elongate box open at and along its top and adapted to extend along one end of a swimming pool; an elongate roller having a cover sheet attached thereto and normally rolled thereon; means rotatably mounting the roller in and longitudinally of the box, intermediate the length thereof; means within opposite ends of the box for extending and retracting the sheet relative to the roller and the box; a sectoinal lid for the box, said lid being made up of end sections for covering saidopposite ends of the box and an intermediate section for covering the rolled cover sheet, said intermediate section of the lid normally gravitating downwardly toward the upper surface of the sheet; a re-entrant slideway channel extending from end to end of the box at its top and along its rear wall; and hinge pintle formations along the rear margins of the lid sections, said formations being received and anchored by said slideway channels.

7. The cover apparatus of claim 6, wherein the upper defining edge of the slideway channel extends forwardly a distance sufficient to place the center of gravity of the lid forwardly of the hinge axis..

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,465,853 Dalton Mar. 29, 1949 2,509,398 Peremi et al. May 30, 1950 2,723,156 Stanziale Nov. 8, 1955 2,844,196 Jones July 22, 1958 2,876,471 Kraemer Mar. 10, 1959 2,990,556 Bender July 4, i961 FOREIGN PATENTS 898,629 Germany Dec. 3, 1953 461,544 Great Britain Feb. 18, 1937 

1. A COVER APPARATUS FOR SWIMMING POOLS, COMPRISING AN ELONGATE BOX OPEN AT AND ALONG ITS TOP AND ADAPTED TO EXTEND ALONG ONE END OF A SWIMMING POOL; AN ELONGATE ROLLER HAVING A COVER SHEET ATTACHED THERETO AND NORMALLY ROLLED THEREON; MEANS ROTATABLY MOUNTING THE ROLLER IN AND LONGITUDINALLY OF THE BOX, INTERMEDIATE THE LENGTH THEREOF; MEANS WITHIN OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE BOX FOR EXTENDING AND RETRACTING THE SHEET RELATIVE TO THE ROLLER AND THE BOX; A SECTIONAL LID FOR THE BOX, SAID LID BEING MADE UP OF END SECTIONS FOR COVERING SAID OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE BOX AND AN INTERMEDIATE SECTION FOR COVERING THE ROLLED COVER SHEET; MEANS HINGING AT LEAST THE INTERMEDIATE SECTION OF THE LID TO THE BOX, THE SHEET EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SECTION OF THE LID AND THE BOX, AND SAID SECTION OF THE LID NORMALLY GRAVITATING DOWNWARDLY TOWARD THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE SHEET; AND AN ELONGATE SCRUBBER CARRIED BY THE SAID SECTION OF THE LID AND NORMALLY BEARING DOWN UPON THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE EXTENDED COVER SHEET. 